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Pitching with Pritch

Remember to thank a doc

By Larry PritchettPast PCHS activities director

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls has not played in a game this year. He had a torn ACL injury last year and that is a long rehab to start with. Rose got the okay to play a month or so ago and has chosen not to play because he doesn’t feel he can make the cuts, he isn’t comfortable yet or whatever the reason that has kept him from playing. There has been much discussion in the papers and on the sports talk shows regarding the pros and cons of his decision. Of course there are a number of people that think he should be on the floor if the doctors have cleared him to play. Others take his side and say if he isn’t mentally ready to play then he should not be on the floor. He has been working out so there are lots of questions about why he has not chosen to play. The Bulls could use his talent. He has, however, not played all year. The Bulls got to the playoffs without him. They are struggling right now with the Heat in this series of rugby/football/basketball and maybe even dodgeball. There have been so many technical fouls called and player ejections in this series, you wonder if it would be four on four before the games end. Maybe Rose doesn’t like contact, who knows. Jason Whitlock, a writer with the Fox news web page and a writer who is considered to be a sports writer and sports person (I say that because there are too many Skip Bayless types on the air presently) had another point of view. Whitlock is an African American and there is a race card played in his columns a little bit at times. But, I consider him a writer who doesn’t care what the person’s color, nationality, etc. is when it comes to his column. If it is an African American and Whitlock thinks he has done something stupid, or makes a comment that is not totally accurate, he will call them on it. With Rose’s situation he made the comment that maybe the people who are on Rose’s back should take a look at the “Old white guys” that run the team and see if they are the problem. He points out that it appears that the Bulls have more than their share of injuries. Rose’s problems might be that he is a victim of their collective incompetence. He did say that the Bulls are the gutsiest team since Seal Team 6. They are a blue collar type of team that has played pretty well considering that Joakim Noah is hobbled with plantar fasciitis, Kirk Hinrich has a bruised left calf and Luol Deng is out with an infection after a spinal tap to determine if he had viral meningitis. The Bulls have gotten to where they are in the playoff with third team players. Whitlock had these “maybes” in a column. Maybe Tim Thibodeau, head coach, pushes them too hard, too long, and makes his front line players play too many minutes. Maybe Brian Cole, team doctor, is completely incompetent. Cole let Omer Asik play two years ago with a broken leg and wanted Deng to play with a severe stress fracture that took four months of total rest to heal. Rose played last year with the torn ACL until they were eliminated and he was injured in the first round of the playoffs. Whitlock pointed out that maybe Rose doesn’t trust those people. He may have a point. The team doctor thing made me stop and think about the situation that has been present at PCHS as long as I can remember. We have been blessed with our doctors in town who have taken an interest in our athletic programs and have been present at games and willing to help when needed. Some more than others have helped but every one of them, if they are at a game, will come down out of the stands and help on the court, the field or track. Dr. Les Potts was the first one that I had the most contact with during my coaching career. Doc was a football fan and I don’t think he missed many home games or road games during that time. He told me early on that if he told me a player was ready to play then they were ready, if he told me they were not ready they were not to hit the court. He would tell us that at times the injuries were not going to get any worse and they wouldn’t hurt the player and the player might just have to play through the pain. I can remember one situation when we were playing in the state tournament and one of our players had some problems with a blister and callus and I walked in the room and there was Doc standing on the bed with what looked like a scalpel to me and he was cutting off the callus little by little. You didn’t get many doctors who made house calls all the way to Lincoln. Doc also took a couple of pounds off my fanny once because he told me a kid shouldn’t play and I said that I could tape the kid and it would be fine. The player was just an eighth grader, but he was my son Troy and he had a broken finger and I was just going to tape the broken one to a good one and he was ready to go. When I spoke to Doc about what he thought about that situation his voice raised a little and he went over again the details of “When I tell you he can’t play, he can’t play, do you want his finger to point at a right angle the rest of his life?” I am not sure that would have happened but it was a good point for emphasis sake. Troy didn’t play in the game. Dr. Potts and Dr. Bottom both offered a great deal of comfort to all of the coaches. I am sure that all our coaches at the high school and junior high would say that our current group of doctors, Dr. Colglazier, Dr. Demmel, Dr. Kohl, and any medical staff who are present at contests don’t hesitate to help when needed. I have seen Dr. Kohl on the floor helping and Dr. Demmel has made that walk out of the bleachers at the high school many times to help. I would like to add that if you read this column and you don’t remember anything, just remember this last thought about our doctors. If you see them tell them “Thanks”–they deserve it.